Caruana Galizia had led the Panama Papers investigation into corruption in Malta – an investigation which followed the leaking of 11.5 million documents from the firm Mossack Fonseca. The journalist was killed by a car bomb near the Maltese capital of Valletta on Monday October 16. The car was destroyed by the explosion, which sent debris into a nearby field.

Her blog, which attracted more readers than the country’s newspapers combined, often criticised members of the political establishment.

Recently, she claimed there was a link between Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat and offshore companies connected to the sale of Maltese passports. He has denied all allegations.

“The loss of Daphne Caruana Galizia fills us with sadness and determination to continue defending democracy until the very end,” Archbishop Scicluna, the country’s highest ranking prelate, said.

He urged the Maltese people not to descend into hostilities, saying it was not the time to “wage war between us or to blame one another.

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